Day: April 18, 2010

A well-preserved, priceless marble head of Octavius Augustus – part of a sculpture from the early Roman period – and a small torso were excavated Friday at Stobi archaeological site, which was visited by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski together with Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska and the director of the Department for Cultural Heritage Protection, Pasko Kuzman.

According to its features, the sculpture was intended to immortalize emperors and notable citizens from the first and second century A.D. It was housed in a temple, which was robbed soon after it was demolished in the classical era. […]

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The gist: a house with several phases of construction ranging from the 1st/2nd century A.D. down to the 4th/6th with the later phases including bathing facilities. I assume it is the early phases which are decorated in a ‘Pompeii style’ and I have no idea what coccio pesto is (but it sounds tasty). Here’s the salient descriptive bit:

UPDATE (a few hours later)… ANSA just came through with some English coverage (although the dating seems rather different):

A luxury complex dating back 2,000 years has emerged from a building site in Crotone, which archaeologists say could cast new light on the southern city’s past.

The remains, discovered in a raised part of the city centre near the port, reveal a multi-storey building that once enjoyed a panoramic view and boasted its own thermal baths. The scale and facilities of the complex are a clear indication the Crotone was a far more sophisticated settlement in ancient times than previously realized, explained Archaeology Museum Director Domenico Marino.

A building of this nature would only have been possible if the surrounding town had extensive and fully functioning drainage, an aqueduct and a cistern, in order to transport the water required to and from the premises “This is a revolutionary discovery for Crotone,” said Marino. “These remains tell us we are dealing with a large-scale Roman city, with buildings and public facilities of a certain significance. “We have made several important finds from Ancient Crotone in the past but this is the first ever discovery of such importance”. Builders were first alerted to the possibility of a big archaeological breakthrough at the end of February, when they discovered some floor fragments, a silo, walls and a tank. They informed the city council, which brought in its own experts to investigate the area more thoroughly.

An initial 30-day search was extended by a further 20 days and it was only towards the end of this second period that archaeologists realized the full scale of the find. So far, they have uncovered sections of marble flooring, Pompeian-style red and black plastered walls, an interior staircase and corridors with mosaic artwork on the floor. They are not yet sure when the complex was built but believe it might have been developed over several centuries, with the oldest part dating back to the 6th century BC and more recent sections to the 1st or 2nd century BC. The building was probably a residential complex but may also have been some kind of public building, said Marino. For now, the construction project on the central city road has been put on hold while archaeologists continue their work, causing traffic hold-ups and chaos for local residents. But Crotone Mayor Peppino Vallone said the value of the discovery meant investigations would continue and, if necessary, the construction might be halted indefinitely. “According to the city’s archaeology department this is an extraordinary find, one that completely changes Crotone’s history,” he said.

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Samuel M. Paley, Ph. D, an internationally known archaeologist who frequently took University at Buffalo students on digs in the Middle East, died of brain cancer March 31 in his New York City home. He was 68.

Dr. Paley, who led the most recent excavation last summer, had been on leave from the university since his illness was diagnosed before the current semester.

A professor of classics and head of Judaic studies at UB, he conducted digs in Cyprus, Israel and Turkey for more than four decades. He specialized in interpreting Assyrian reliefs and helped create a digital program that brought to life the Northwest Palace of King Ashur-nasir-pal II.

Born in Manchester, N. H., and raised in Boston, Dr. Paley received his undergraduate degree from New York University and his doctorate from Columbia University. He had a lifelong interest in ancient and modern languages.

He joined the UB classics department 33 years ago and founded the Judaic Studies program in 1992.

Dr. Paley published three books about the Northwest Palace, begining in 1976 with “King of the World: Ashur-nasir-pal II of Assyria (883-859 B. C.)” The series documented the ruins with meticulous descriptive detail and architectural renderings.

Later, in collaboration with architects and virtual reality specialists, he produced the virtual version of the museum, which can be viewed by visiting http://www.learningsites.com/ NWPalace/NWPalhome. html.

Dr. Paley also assessed the palaces of Nimrud and Nineveh for conservation projects during the Iraq War and had recently been a consultant for UNESCO World Heritage sites.

A tireless excavator and fundraiser for his projects, he helped uncover a Hellenistic sanctuary and late Bronze Age remains on the Phlamoudhi plain in Cyprus, and he participated in several digs at Tel Nagilah, Tel Arad and Tel Dan in Israel.

He later became co-director of research on early, middle and late Bronze Age settlements in west-central Israel and was part of two projects that explored 6,000 years of civilization in central Turkey.

“Unwavering in the search for excellence and knowledge,” and an entertaining speaker, Dr. Paley mentored hundreds of students and was deeply respected by scholars around the world, his family said.

He was religious director of Temple Emanu-El in Batavia.

Surviving are his wife, Barbara “Bobbi” Koz Paley; three daughters, Raquel, Michal and Avital Lazar-Paley; a stepson, Jamie Koz; and two brothers, David and Norman.

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rogueclassicism: 1. n. an abnormal state or condition resulting from the forced migration from a lengthy Classical education into a profoundly unClassical world; 2. n. a blog about Ancient Greece and Rome compiled by one so afflicted (v. "rogueclassicist"); 3. n. a Classics blog.